Urban Development
Malls Fight Back
Battling against rumors of impending retirement, or even death, at least one owner isn't going down without a fight to make its malls Internet-proof. Stephanie Clifford examines how Glimcher Realty Trust's novel approach is paying dividends.
What's in Store for America's Shopping Malls?
As America's beloved shopping mall enters its "golden years", Emily Badger considers the astounding anti-suburban ethos of its inventor, and what the future has in store for this "over the hill" retail development model.
Sunset Boulevard's Promise Rises in the East
Christopher Hawthorne completes his second installment in an ongoing series examining the transformation of Los Angeles through the lens of its famous boulevards. This entry focuses on the most famous street in the city - Sunset Boulevard.
D.C. Unveils Ambitious Eco-District Plans
Upending the adage that nothing gets done in D.C. these days, last week the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) released their long range plans for remaking the Southwest area of the capital, capping two years of intense debate.
Led by its 'Hyperactive' Mayor, Chicago Plots a Comeback
When he took office last year, Rahm Emmanuel inherited a city in which a sheen of new projects hid a crumbling infrastructure. With a laundry list of initiatives, the mayor is intent on retaining the city's place amongst the world's great cities.
As Parklets Bloom, SF Stays True to its Roots
As the number of completed parklets in San Francisco nears three dozen, after debuting only two years ago, "the latest trend in urban placemaking" has entered the planning mainstream without losing its grassroots origins.
Would Eliminating Road Subsidies Encourage Transit Use?
Not only are transit systems subsidized, but so are America's roads. While some advocate for the reduction of road subsidies to better incentivize transit use, Josh Barro argues for more effective ways to make mass transit work better.
Detroit Reveals the Possibilities and Pitfalls of a New Era of Governance
America's fundamental levels of governance are changing, writes Anna Clark in Next American City, who uses examples from Detroit and Cleveland to ascertain what the stakes are when cities cede public sector work to third parties.
Radical Cartography Produces Unlikely Maps and Design Partnerships
Lillian Mathews describes "radical cartography," a movement to highlight, not hide, the process and politics associated with map-making decisions.
Residential: The Obvious Undervalued Ingredient in Town Centers
Geoff Dyer describes the essential role that a residential component plays in any mixed-use town center. For Dyer, residences are "the substrate on which a healthy mixed-use environment is based."
Advice to Cities Considering Bankruptcy: 'Don't Do It'
As the third California city in a month files for bankruptcy protection, fears of a domino effect worry many. While bankruptcy may seem like an enticing solution, officials that have gone through it caution about the downside.
Is Thomas Jefferson to Blame for Los Angeles's Sprawl?
Jeremy Rosenberg examines why Thomas Jefferson may have had more of an impact on the development of Los Angeles than you might suspect. The city's street grid can be traced back to this American founding father.
Slow Progress on America's High-Speed Rail Efforts
Milton Lindsay examines America's efforts to build a national system of high-speed trains and finds mixed results in the nation's eleven intended corridors.
Adaptive Reuse Coming to Struggling Airports
As airlines cut service to small and mid-sized cities, once bustling airports now find whole terminals vacated, and are looking to find new revenue models for the vacated space, reports Jane L. Levere.
Bridging the Gap: Freeway Caps Proposed in Smaller Cities
As plans progress in many large cities to cap their below-grade urban freeways, smaller cities, like Ventura, California, are looking to benefit from similar proposals.
Brooklyn’s Great Gentrification Divide
Joseph Berger examines how gentrification in certain Brooklyn neighborhoods has revealed a conflict of values among residents.
Community Collaboration Gains Momentum in the UK
Following on historic new powers granted recently to cities across England, RIBA and ResPublica have published a new paper arguing for greater collaboration with local communities in neighborhood planning, writes Irina Vinnitskaya.
Is an Emblem of Sydney's Past the Key to its Future?
Tim Williams argues that Sydney's ubiquitous and beloved terraced housing provides an exemplary model for developing environmentally efficient and livable communities. So why is their construction being stymied?
Newark Meet the Passaic, Passaic Meet Newark
A new park and plans for increased waterfront access seek to reintroduce Newark's residents, and even tourists, to the Passaic River, the longtime industrial dumping ground that flows through the city, writes Sharon Adarlo.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association